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I strongly disagree. The Chernobyl explosion and resulting contamination was not designed to disperse radioactive material. It did a fairly good job of doing that *anyway*. I agree that the predicted effects are fortunately much less (20 years later) than previously predicted, but it was nonetheless extremely effective at effecting FEAR and Terror into that portion of the World. If Terrorists with high explosives expertise also had access to MORE deadly radioactive substances than Chernobyl contained, that would be VERY SCARY.

Terrorists are likely more interested the FEAR and the sensationalized terrifying concept of "Nuclear Fallout" rather than the actual scientific effects of such a dirty radiological High Explosive dispersion device (AKA Dirty Bomb).
Terrorists may actually target key water and food supplies or river systems with radiological explosive dispersion devices.

Any primary "Dirty Bomb" Victims that inhale, eat, drink, or consume into their bodies ANY energetically decaying radioisotopes (especially ones with relatively short half-lives) will have an *almost certain chance* of developing lung and/or bone cancers.
Plutonium-238, curium-244, strontium-90, polonium-210, promethium-147, cesium-137, cerium-144, ruthenium-106, cobalt-60, curium-242, and thulium isotopes all can produce oncogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic effects on the human body (especially if ingested or inhaled). This happens if the initial exposure does not kill the primary victims.

In any case, it is very very unlikely that a citizen jury of peers would consider the passive monitoring of specific "hot" radioisotopes by US authorities to be a violation of the 4th Amendment's "unreasonable searches and seizures".
NOBODY should have any of the above in their possession unless they are professionals and they would have clearly marked DOT placards on their commercial vehicles as well as DOT, NRC (and probably DOE) approved possession and transportation paperwork and approved containment vessels. http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/teachers/11.pdf
Also, they would have to follow controlled HC (Hazardous Cargo) approved routes within the US highway system. http://orise.orau.gov/reacts/guide/hazard.htm

I agree that it is interesting some animal and human cancer patients (and other radiologically medicated persons) have been flagged "hot" by roadside sensors and detained by authorities. It is likely that those same sensors can determine the quantity and difference between the americium-241 (one gram is enough for 5000 smoke detectors) from the other more dangerous materials no civilian should never have. http://www.uic.com.au/nip35.htm

I am a US citizen, and I DO feel better knowing that these things ARE being actively screened for by our government. It would be terribly irresponsible for our government to NOT look for radioactive substances if technology would allow it to conducted as unobtrusively as it is from the side of a PUBLIC highway or port of entry. Americans don't have a right to own dangerous radioactive components.

OTOH, if they decide to screen for GUNS in the US... that's a Second Amendment right we DO have... and whole other issue.

Indentured servitude is illegal in this country.

Yes, but the government can always bend the rules:

DHS Graduate Fellowship requirements:

• A 10-week, continuous, off-campus research internship at a DHS-designated facility will be required during the summer between your first and second year of tenure.
• You must indicate a willingness to accept, after graduation, competitive employment offers from DHS, state and local security offices, DHS-affiliated Federal laboratories, or DHS-related university faculty or research staff positions.

For being so feisty, are you quite sure there's no such thing as alpha and beta radiation?

http://www.orau.gov/reacts/alpha.htm

http://www.orau.gov/reacts/beta.htm

Both are particle radiation and both plentifully originate in stars. You can read more about them in Wikipedia also.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_radiation

For being so feisty, are you quite sure there's no such thing as alpha and beta radiation?

http://www.orau.gov/reacts/alpha.htm

http://www.orau.gov/reacts/beta.htm

Both are particle radiation and both plentifully originate in stars. You can read more about them in Wikipedia also.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_radiation

...a maximum a couple of hours ...

... symptoms usually disappear in a day or two, and a symptom-free, latent period follows, varying in length depending upon the size of the radiation dose. A period of overt illness follows, and can be characterized by infection, electrolyte imbalance, diarrhea, bleeding, cardiovascular collapse, and sometimes short periods of unconsciousness. Death or a period of recovery follows the period of overt illness.

and

The latent phase - lasts a few days to as long as 2 to 3 weeks at the lower dose levels. The patient is asymptomatic but CBCs will show characteristic changes in the blood elements, with lymphocyte depression and gradual decrease in neutrophil and platelet counts.

It's that "few days" in the 320 rem and up exposure (320 rad or 3.2 seivert is considered the LD-50 according to this table) where you could lose the war.

Don't learn about radiation from Hollywood.

No, the greater mass of alpha particles (2 protons and 2 neutrons, basically a Helium nucleus) makes them more difficult to deflect, not less. However, other factors have an impact on the scattering cross section, including particle charge and energy.

DHS Scholarship

Yes, it means you work for the Department of Homeland Security. On the gripping hand, it pays $1000 a month. When you do your internship for them, they pay $500 a week. Damn good pay. And that's all after they pay all your tuition and fees. Too late for this year, but remember it for next year.

We hear about 100mpg gas cars. Or the 50mpg hybrid cars. What about the 50mpg VW TDI cars you can buy right now that don't use any fancy new technology? Or the 235mpg VW prototype (page 32) diesel?

Diesel is easier to manufacture than gas (lower emissions from processing plant, lower costs for consumers) so it is clearly the better fuel. Maybe with this stupid war we'll see more diesel vehicles sold.

Check out that last article. We need to to focus on Diesel which can help us here and now instead of hydrogen/solar power which are decades off.

actually, if youre willing to travel to Tennessee the Oak Ridge National Laboratory has a nice summer internship program for nuclear engineers and other scientists. The web site is at www.orau.gov/orise/educ.htm.


I think that you need to be a US citizen to get it though, but if you're not and still studying Nuclear Engineering, you must be a terrorist.